Barack Obama says Guantanamo Bay prison must close

www.bbc.co.uk...

US President Barack Obama has pledged a new push to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, amid a growing prisoner hunger strike there.

Congress has blocked efforts to close the prison, but Mr Obama said he would renew discussions with lawmakers.

Mr Obama told reporters he had asked a team of officials to review operations at Guantanamo Bay and said he was not surprised there were problems there.

"It is inefficient, it hurts us in terms of our international standing, it lessens co-operation with our allies on counter-terrorism efforts, it is a recruitment tool for extremists, it needs to be closed," Mr Obama said.

"I think it is critical for us to understand that Guantanamo is not necessary to keep America safe," Mr Obama told reporters.

I agree Mr. President, all it's become is a terrorist recruitment center and with the current population on hunger strike it's time to close up shop. GITMO, among others, isn't keeping America safe and neither is our foreign policy overseas. We need real change, positive change and keeping GITMO open wasn't it.

Or is this just more talk from our commander in chief who can't walk the walk? He did promise in 2008 he'd shut it down but how hard did he really try? It's easy to tell us you want it closed but even easier to do nothing about it.

Related links,

Guantánamo Bay hunger strike prompts arrival of medical back-up

It's Deja Vu all over again.
Sounds like he is running out of things to promise.
Why is he still in campaign mode?

Meanwhile, the CIA operates secret detention facilities all over the rest of the world.
As if closing Guantanamo is going to make any difference.

reply to post by Swills


He said that 5 years ago...

Maybe he can just give the prisoners all jobs at the White House. They would fit right in with the rest of the criminals in Washington.

Well if he waits a little longer, all those prisoners on a hunger strike will die. Then there will be less to relocate.

reply to post by Swills

Or is this just more talk from our commander in chief who can't walk the walk? He did promise in 2008 he'd shut it down but how hard did he really try? It's easy to tell us you want it closed but even easier to do nothing about it.

Let me refresh your memory as to why Obama couldn't close Guantanamo.



Fox News and Rush Limbaugh scared the American public that if we moved the prisoners to prisons on American soil that we would be hit with terrorist attacks to free the prisoners

Republicans blocked the closure of Guantanamo because they refused to approve any prison to move the prisoners to.

But yeah, go ahead and blame Obama.

But then who will play soccer on that new $750k soccer field?

A military contractor, BRDC (Burns and Roe Dick Corp. Services), is building the new recreation yard outside Camp 6, a six-year-old, 200-cell prison where about 120 of the most cooperative of Guantánamo’s 171 captives are kept.

www.miamiherald.com...

And, more importantly, who in power is connected to Burns and Roe Dick? Contract was awarded in July 2008. Looks like they've made a lot of $ for 171 captives.

The contract is for a base year and four option years for a maximum of sixty months or a maximum value of $100 million for all contracts, whichever comes first. The expected contract completion date is July 2013.

Someone had an interest in keeping it open!

www.roe.com...

Why is this news? How many other broken promises/campaign lies is he going to talk about to remind the American public that voted for him, that they did not elect the right person?

5 years too late.

And still only a lie.

Peace

reply to post by LogicGrind


It's fairly obvious he alone couldn't close the prison, which is spelt out pretty clear in the OP, regardless, my question is how hard has he been trying to close it down? He gave it a go and it didn't work. What next?

For things to change politically it's usually takes time and he's had 4+ years to shut down GITMO so where he is with that? Has Congress changed their minds as of late? Has he been trying to change their mind?

With all this being said, I must say I have absolutely no faith in the current political system because it's all clearly corrupt to the core. I consider Obama and the rest of them puppets who do as they are told. So Obama can run his mouth all he wants but as far as I'm concerned he's not at all trying to close GITMO whether he actually can or not.

He said this again.. I thought he was going to "do this" in his first term...

-SAP-

Originally posted by Swills
reply to post by LogicGrind

 

It's fairly obvious he alone couldn't close the prison, which is spelt out pretty clear in the OP, regardless, my question is how hard has he been trying to close it down? He gave it a go and it didn't work. What next?

For things to change politically it's usually takes time and he's had 4+ years to shut down GITMO so where he is with that? Has Congress changed their minds as of late? Has he been trying to change their mind?

With all this being said, I must say I have absolutely no faith in the current political system because it's all clearly corrupt to the core. I consider Obama and the rest of them puppets who do as they are told. So Obama can run his mouth all he wants but as far as I'm concerned he's not at all trying to close GITMO whether he actually can or not.

edit on 30-4-2013 by Swills because: (no reason given)

I have no idea what he has been doing, I have no idea how serious he is, all I know for sure is what happened last time.

If Obama is going to try again, he has more leverage this time because he doesn't have to play re-election politics. So he can tell the Republicans, find an acceptable place to put the prisoners....or I'll release them all. Ball is in Republican's court then. That's what I would do.

obama signed an EO on 22 Jan 2009 ordering the closing of Gitmo within 1 year of that date. The democrats had majorities in both the Senate and House. And had control for 2 years before the Republicans regained the house.

So how is it the Republicans fault again?

Barry's promises of what we 'need' to do have become out-right RHETORIC

Especially during this renewed 'war' on terror with Guantanamo being a location in commie Cuba rented out to house terrorists of mostly mideastern/arab extraction indefinitely, its just beyond belief now more than ever, that place would be shut down for America has all this anger toward muslims, terrorists and Guantanamo is one place where alleged terrorists can be interrogated, tortured, punished for their groups' cause of all this grief and bloodshed in America let alone all over the.. Mideast.

reply to post by Swills



He is supposed to be the freagin president. All these so called " attempts of Obama to "close it" don't fly with me. He simply keeps bringing up these "attempt's" because it was his key promise before he was ever elected, like his pre-election promise of bringing back our soldiers..... he ended up sending 30.000 more ... They can sign laws in secret and behind closed doors away from the public "the patriot Act I and II" etc but they cannot close 1 prison that is not even on american soil but owned and ran by americans.

That's rich.

Originally posted by LogicGrind
reply to post by Swills

 

Or is this just more talk from our commander in chief who can't walk the walk? He did promise in 2008 he'd shut it down but how hard did he really try? It's easy to tell us you want it closed but even easier to do nothing about it.

Let me refresh your memory as to why Obama couldn't close Guantanamo.

Fox News and Rush Limbaugh scared the American public that if we moved the prisoners to prisons on American soil that we would be hit with terrorist attacks to free the prisoners

Republicans blocked the closure of Guantanamo because they refused to approve any prison to move the prisoners to.

But yeah, go ahead and blame Obama.

Yea right, the president could not close the prison because of fox news

Fema camps must be ready to rumble I guess?

reply to post by Swills


The President is a liar.
That is the result of
transparency in action.

reply to post by LogicGrind

someone is still drinking the koolaid. i'm saddened that there are so many people on this forum who still don't understand that there is no left vs. right paradigm.

obama "promises" to close it, but doesn't actually want to, so the republicans fight it in congress for him. gitmo stays open and americans are further divided. their scheme worked, and it sounds like you (and many others) fell for it.